A Manhattan cocktail is made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. It is stirred with ice, strained into a cocktail glass, and garnished with a Maraschino cherry with a stem. A Manhattan is also frequently served on the rocks in a lowball glass.

One story has it that the cocktail was first made at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the early 1870s. Dr. Iain Marshall is said to have prepared the cocktail for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome, in honor of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden. The drink became fashionable, and was then referred to by the name of the club.

Legend has it that Christopher devoted his life to carrying people across a difficult river. One day, a small child asked to be helped to the other side. As he was crossing the river, Christopher found that the child steadily became heavier and heavier, until it was almost too much to bear. The child explained that he carried the world's sins upon his shoulders and rewarded Christopher for his service by transforming his staff into a living tree.

The Pomeranian (or Pom) is a breed of dog named for the Pomerania region of Central Europe (today part of northern Poland and eastern Germany). It is a toy dog breed, but is descended from the larger German Spitz breed.

Poms have been popular with Royals since the 17th century. Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian, and consequently the smaller variety became universally popular.

Parke-Bernet, established in the late 1930s, was the largest auctioneer of fine art in the US. Carlyle Galleries, at 980 Madison Avenue, was custom built for the auction house in 1949. It comprised retail stores, storage vaults, conservation rooms, photography studios, a big auction sales room and six large exhibition galleries, behind an austere facade of limestone blocks.

A 14-foot aluminum sculpture adorns the wall above the entrance. According to The New York Times (1949) the sculpture was meant to symbolise “Venus awakening Manhattan to the importance of art from overseas.”

Sotheby’s acquired Parke-Bernet in 1964. The new Sotheby Parke-Bernet remained in the Madison Avenue building until the 1980s, when Sotheby’s moved to its present building at York Avenue and 72nd Street.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is among the world's largest and finest art museums. Its collections include over two million works of art, covering five thousand years of world culture. The Met was founded in 1870 and is located in New York City's Central Park along Fifth Avenue (from 80th to 84th Streets). About five million people visit the museum yearly.